Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo reveals she secretly auditioned for Strictly host job and details the 'intense' selection process

Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo has revealed she auditioned for the Strictly Come Dancing host job.

The TV and radio star, 42, was one of many famous faces to try out as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's replacements on the flagship BBC show.

The 2026 series of Strictly kicked off with its pre-recorded launch episode on Saturday night, giving fans a first taste of the trio of new hosts who eventually landed the coveted job.

Giving her thoughts on Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe on the latest episode of her pop culture podcast Clara & Munroe Are Into It, Clara admitted she was 'gutted' to miss out on the job.

'I could have hosted it. I was in the mix,' Clara told her co-host Munroe Bergdorf. 'I can say it publicly now. I tried out for the main job of Strictly Come Dancing. Didn't get it. Bit gutted at the time, but quickly got over it.'

Clara, who was a contestant on the 2020 series of Strictly, then revealed how 'intense' the audition process was.

Revealing she was paired up with another female presenter, Clara explained 'they basically made like this fake set. It was almost like a kid had made a version of Strictly in this little studio and we were all given code names.'

'Our code names were glitter and sparkle. We were bundled inside this secret car and they gave you the name of a fake TV show just in case the cab driver was asking where you were going.  It was intense, man!'

'Of course like a show like that you can't just bowl in and be like "oi give me the job" but it was intense'.

Clara went on to praise the new hosts, gushing: 'Big up Emma Willis we get on fantastically well, she's going to be amazing. Johannes, that's my boy we love Jojo. And Josh, lovely, lovely man.'

'I'm not just saying this to be politically correct because, trust me, if it was somebody that I wasn't feeling I would tell you!'

'I'm never mad at losing out on work to people that I respect and who I think are really really good at their jobs. I think it's more jarring when you lose out on work to people that you know just aren't very good or who are unprofessional.'

The likes of Zoe Ball and Sara Cox have previously revealed they also tried out for the hosting job, but Strictly bosses eventually decided to go in a new direction with three hosts.

The revamped line-up failed to deliver the ratings boost bosses had hoped for though, while fans watching on Saturday questioned the 'awkward' three-presenter format.

On Saturday, the pre-recorded launch show peaked at 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight figures, up slightly on last year's peak of 5.6 million.

However, the episode averaged at 5.3 million viewers, down from 5.4 million in 2025.

While the peak figure represents a small rise on last year, it remains well below the figures recorded before the programme was hit by a series of controversies.

This includes allegations about the treatment of celebrity contestants and the culture behind the scenes, leading to the departure of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima and prompting the BBC to introduce tougher welfare measures.

Prior to the string of scandals, the Strictly launch peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million in 2023.

Bosses will have hoped that a fresh format and new hosting line-up could tempt lapsed viewers back to the BBC One favourite. However, the overnight figures suggest the changes have yet to produce a significant ratings resurgence.

Emma was widely praised, with one fan hailing her as 'the goddess of British TV' as she opened the show in a plunging, glittering dress.

But others questioned the decision to have three presenters, with viewers pointing out the format seems 'awkward and forced'.

'Why does it need 3 presenters? It just doesn't work,' one wrote on X.

Josh also came in for criticism, with some viewers claiming he appeared ‘out of his depth’.

Strictly will return for its first live show of the new series next Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.